Diogenes, Won't You Please Take a Hint?
by iDohavealife
Summary: The impetus for this fanfic was a discussion about the episode, "Diogenes, Won't You Please Go Home?" On a GI message board, some friends and I were wondering what Gilligan had written about Mary Ann in his diary. Hence, this fic. *Complete*
1. Two Revelations

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilligan's Island or any of the characters therein. Do I look like Sherwood Schwartz or some production company bigwig to you?  
  
A/N: This fanfic is somewhat similar to my other fic, "The Second Ginger Grant Revisited". I liked this fic better, though, and hope to use it as a "launching-off point" for more fics about Gilligan and Mary Ann's courtship and, maybe, eventual marriage. The impetus for this fic was the episode "Diogenes, Won't You Please Go Home?"--the one where Gilligan has a diary. In a GI website a while back, some friends and I were talking about how we wondered what Gilligan had written about Mary Ann in his diary. Thus, this fic....  
  
Chapter One  
  
"Hi, Ginger!" Mary Ann said brightly, as she came into the hut the two shared.  
  
Ginger guiltily hid the book she had been reading behind her back. "Uh, hi, Mary Ann." She thought for a minute, then made a decision. "Umm, Mary Ann, remember when you found Gilligan's diary a while back? Did you get a chance to read all of it?"  
  
"No, just the parts I read to you and the others about the Skipper, the Howells, and you. Then Gilligan came along and I gave the book back to him. Why?"  
  
Ginger pulled the book out from behind her back. "Because I found it again."  
  
"Ginger! You should give that back to Gilligan! I realize that when I found it, I read parts of it out loud to everyone, but that was only because of all the trouble that was going on. You shouldn't read all..."  
  
Ginger interrupted her. "Did you read what he wrote about you?", she said with a smile.  
  
Mary Ann was suddenly intrigued. "No...what did he write?", she asked, trying to see what was written in the book.  
  
Ginger hid the book again and said teasingly, "well, I don't know if I should tell you. You said I should give the book back to..."  
  
"Ginger, what did he write?" Mary Ann was curious in spite of herself.  
  
"OK, OK, calm down. Gee, I was only teasing you..."  
  
"Ginger!"  
  
"OK." Ginger reopened the book and found her place. She began reading. "There's another girl here on the island with us, her name is Mary Ann Summers. I can't explain how I feel about Mary Ann because I've never felt this way about anyone before. When I first saw her come on board the Minnow, I noticed how pretty she was. We've been here almost a year now, and I think she's the most wonderful, beautiful girl I've ever known. She's always sweet and kind to me, but I don't dare think she might feel the same way I feel. She's even kissed me a few times, but like an idiot, I didn't know how to react. I'd like to tell her how much I like her, but I know I'll never have the courage. So, I guess I'll just have to be happy with my daydreams." Ginger finished reading and looked up at Mary Ann.  
  
Mary Ann stood there, shocked. "Let me see that!", she said, grabbing the book from Ginger. She wanted to read this for herself--she was a little afraid that Ginger might be joking. But no, there it was, and it was in Gilligan's handwriting.  
  
"Mary Ann, Gilligan has a big crush on you. A huge crush from the sound of it. Now the question is--do you feel the same way?" Ginger had always suspected that Mary Ann secretly liked Gilligan, but she wondered if Mary Ann was even aware of it.  
  
Mary Ann slowly put the book down. She sat down, then looked over at Ginger. "Yes," she said softly. "I feel the same way. But I can't tell him."  
  
"Why not?!", Ginger asked impatiently. "Gosh, Mary Ann, he just said he's crazy about you!"  
  
"Because he didn't tell me. He told his diary. And it may be silly, but I want him to tell me first." Mary Ann looked at the floor, exasperated with herself and the situation.  
  
Ginger threw up her hands. "Well, you may be waiting a long time! You know how shy he is. He'll never tell you."  
  
Mary Ann suddenly had an idea. "Unless I can encourage him to tell me. You know--pay extra attention to him, give little hints. It just might work!", she said, smiling.  
  
Ginger wasn't convinced. "I don't think Gilligan takes hints very well. I still say the direct approach is best. Go over there and tell him you read his diary, and you feel the same way."  
  
"No, I just can't do that. You'll see--I'll make this work." Mary Ann smiled to herself, making plans. 


	2. He Just Doesn't Get It

Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. Never did, never will.  
  
A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short. It just turned out that way.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Later that afternoon, Mary Ann went out looking for Gilligan. She was a little nervous about seeing him now that she knew what he had written. Maybe Ginger was right--maybe she should just tell him she knew about his diary and that she felt the same way. But she really wanted him to tell her first--she needed to hear it from him, not from his diary. She found him sitting on a rock at the lagoon, fishing. She walked up and stood slightly behind and to the side of him.  
  
"Hi, Gilligan", she said cheerfully.  
  
Gilligan jumped, startled. He had been half-asleep. "Oh, hi, Mary Ann."  
  
Mary Ann sat down next to him. "Are you having any luck?"  
  
Gilligan nodded. "Yeah, I've caught a couple of big ones to have for dinner. See?", he said, holding up some fish on a line.  
  
Mary Ann smiled. "Oh, Gilligan, you're so wonderful to take such good care of us. You always make sure we have plenty to eat. We really don't give you enough credit." She jumped up, went behind him, and gave him a hug. "You know what? I'm going to make you a special pie for dessert. No, I'll make you two pies." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and hurried away, leaving Gilligan to wonder what in the world that was all about.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
That evening, Mary Ann sat down on her bed, exhausted. She had spent most of the day being extra-attentive to Gilligan--she had baked him pies, made sure he had extra helpings at dinner, and had just generally worn herself out being cheerful. And of course Ginger was right--Gilligan didn't take hints very well. She looked up as Ginger came in.  
  
"Well, you were right, Ginger--this just isn't working", she sighed. "At least not yet anyway."  
  
Ginger sat down at their dressing table and started powdering her nose. "If you had called him 'sweet' one more time at dinner, I was going to be sick", she said. She turned to Mary Ann. "I think you're going to have to be more aggressive."  
  
"More aggressive?" Mary Ann looked unsure. "Ginger, I'm not very good at being aggressive. I could never 'vamp' men the way you do."  
  
"Of course not. Besides, there's only one Ginger Grant," Ginger said with her usual seductive swagger. "But you're going to have to let him know you're interested. Get him alone and do something besides offering to cook for him."  
  
"Ginger!" Mary Ann said, somewhat shocked.  
  
"Oh, I didn't mean that." Ginger giggled. "Although his reaction might be interesting."  
  
Mary Ann giggled too at the thought of Gilligan's reaction. "Well, I'll think of something. Right now, I'm going to get some sleep." She got up to get changed for bed. "Maybe something will happen tomorrow." 


	3. Alone in a Storm and A Beginning

Disclaimer: Gilligan not mine, no one on Gilligan's Island mine.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
By the next morning, Mary Ann had decided that Ginger was right--she had to get Gilligan by himself, even if she didn't have a clue about what she would do once they were alone. So, after breakfast, she stopped Gilligan before he could disappear.  
  
"Gilligan, I need to...umm", she said, thinking fast, "uh...pick berries this morning for lunch. Would you be able to come and help me?"  
  
"Sure, Mary Ann. I was just going to go fishing again anyway."  
  
"OK, good. Thanks, Gilligan," she gave him a warm smile, hoping to cover up her nervousness. She had no clue what to do next and hoped some opportunity would present itself.  
  
They walked along picking berries, mostly in silence. Mary Ann was desperately trying to think of something to do, while Gilligan wondered why she was so quiet. She was starting to think that maybe she should just tell him the truth when there was a sudden flash of lightning, with a clap of thunder following almost immediately.  
  
"Oh, gosh, I think we're going to have a bad storm!", Mary Ann said, stopping and looking up at the sky.  
  
"Yeah. We'd better find some shelter. I think we're too far from camp to make it in time." Gilligan looked around. "I think there's a cave nearby-- maybe we should try to go there."  
  
"OK." Mary Ann followed Gilligan through the jungle. The storm was coming fast. It started raining--hard--just before they got into the cave.  
  
"Boy, that was close!", Gilligan said, looking out the cave entrance at the storm. He turned to Mary Ann. "Did you get very wet?"  
  
"No, not too bad", Mary Ann said, brushing damp hair from her eyes. The wind had loosened her pigtails. "Did you?"  
  
"No, I'm OK." Gilligan turned again to the cave entrance and stood watching the storm. Mary Ann had a sudden idea.  
  
"Gilligan--I'm cold." She hated to lie to him, but she had to try to get his attention. "Could you maybe...put your arms around me?"  
  
Gilligan turned to her, looking nervous. "Uh...sure, Mary Ann." She went over and put her arms around him, snuggling close to his chest. He nervously put his arms around her. Funny, she didn't feel cold to him--she felt warm. Gilligan didn't really know how to react--he had liked Mary Ann for a long time--well, more than "liked", but he didn't know how to tell her. His only experiences with girls had been bad ones--he had been laughed at and beaten up a couple of times by big brothers. But Mary Ann was so sweet, and she had always been nice to him--maybe he could tell her. While he was trying to gather his courage, the rain stopped, though neither of them noticed. Gilligan was finally able to find his voice. "Uh, Mary Ann...".  
  
She pulled away a little and looked up at him. "Yes, Gilligan."  
  
Gilligan looked into her eyes and couldn't say anything else. All he could think about was all the times he had wanted to kiss her and couldn't, and now she was right here, and she was looking at him like she wanted him to kiss her. "Don't think about it, just do it", he thought to himself. He leaned closer to her, intending to kiss her. Mary Ann closed her eyes and lifted her face to him.  
  
"Gilligan!? Mary Ann!?" They jumped apart as they heard the Skipper and the Professor calling for them. Gilligan looked at Mary Ann sadly, then hurried out of the cave. Mary Ann sighed and followed him.  
  
"We were worried about you two", the Skipper said, coming up to them.  
  
"Yes, that was a very bad storm. We were afraid you had gotten caught in it", the Professor added.  
  
"We're both all right", Mary Ann said. "We just got rained on a little bit. We went into a cave." She smiled at Gilligan. "I'd better get back to camp and start lunch." The Skipper looked from her to Gilligan-- something was going on here, but he didn't know what. Maybe she and Gilligan?...but no, this was Gilligan after all. Skipper chuckled to himself at the thought.  
  
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That night, Gilligan sat on the bench near the huts, absent-mindedly poking a stick into the fire. He was thinking about what had almost happened in the cave. His feelings were very confused. He was disappointed, but also a little relieved--what if Mary Ann had been mad at him for kissing her? What if she was mad at him for almost kissing her?  
  
Mary Ann came out of her hut and saw Gilligan sitting there, staring into the fire. She went over and sat down beside him. "Hi, Gilligan", she said softly.  
  
Gilligan didn't look up. "Hi, Mary Ann." He sat there thinking for a moment, then looked up at her. "Mary Ann...uh...this afternoon...if the Skipper and the Professor hadn't come along when they did...", he didn't know how to finish, and he looked back down at the fire.  
  
"I know, Gilligan...you would have kissed me."  
  
"I'm sorry, Mary Ann."  
  
"Oh no, Gilligan, it's all right. I...wanted you to kiss me." She paused for a moment, then put her hand on his arm. "I still do," she said softly.  
  
It took Gilligan a second to realize what she had said, then he looked up at her, surprised. "You do?", he asked, his voice breaking like it did when he was nervous.  
  
"Uh huh", she nodded.  
  
Gilligan looked at her for a moment and realized she meant it. He moved a little closer to her and put his arm around her waist. He leaned over and gave her a small kiss. "I don't kiss very well", he said, blushing.  
  
"I think you do", Mary said, blushing too. She touched his face with her hand. They sat there looking at each other for a moment, then he slowly leaned over and kissed her again, this time a lingering kiss. Then he looked into her eyes.  
  
"Mary Ann...I..."  
  
"Gilligan! Where are you, my boy?" This time it was Mr. Howell. Once again, Gilligan and Mary Ann jumped apart guiltily. Mr. Howell came hurrying up to them.  
  
"There you are, Gilligan! Mrs. Howell and I need you to come to our hut immediately! We simply can't find it anywhere!"  
  
"You can't find your hut, Mr. Howell?", Gilligan asked, confused.  
  
"No, no! My teddy bear! Come along, my boy, we need you to crawl under our beds and look for it."  
  
"But, Mr. Howell...", Gilligan started.  
  
"No buts! Let's go!" Mr. Howell grabbed Gilligan's arm and hurried him along. Mary Ann sighed and headed back to her hut. "Well, it's a start", she thought to herself, then smiled. 


	4. Two Dreams

Disclaimer: Hey, they're not mine! Get it?  
  
Another somewhat short chapter. Sorry.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Mary Ann went to bed that night thinking about Ginger's suggestion that she be more aggressive. She couldn't just "vamp" Gilligan---could she? She really didn't think she'd be able to go through with it. It just wasn't her style. She was still thinking about it when she fell asleep; that's probably why she had this dream:  
  
She was walking through the jungle, but something felt different. She looked down at herself and saw that she wasn't wearing her usual gingham dress or shorts. She was wearing a gown similar to Ginger's--tight and low- cut. And her hair was done up like Ginger's too. She was puzzled about why she was dressed like this, but then she saw Gilligan up ahead.  
  
"Hi, Gilligan", she said, surprised that her voice didn't even sound like her own. She sounded more like Ginger--sultry and seductive. What was going on here?  
  
"Uh..hi, Mary Ann", Gilligan said, starting to get nervous. He also wondered why Mary Ann was looking like Ginger. He hated when Ginger "vamped" him--it made him very uncomfortable, and he usually ended up knocking himself out on a tree or some other hard object. He made it look like an accident, but secretly--he did it on purpose.  
  
"Um...Gilligan", Mary Ann said, coming closer to him and putting her arms around his neck. He started backing up, just like he always did with Ginger. "I read your diary...isn't there something you'd like to tell me?", she purred, trying to press against him.  
  
"Like what?" Gilligan was so flustered that he couldn't even remember having a diary. He liked Mary Ann, yes, but he just couldn't deal with her acting like this. He kept backing up until he bumped against a rock. He sat down, and Mary Ann sat down right beside him, with her arms still around him.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to kiss me?" And before he could say anything, Mary Ann kissed him passionately, knocking him backward off the rock and falling off herself. She suddenly woke up.  
  
"Well, that didn't work", she thought to herself. "I scared the poor guy to death." She turned over to go back to sleep, determined that she would get him to admit his feelings--but without "vamping" him. "Besides, he was pretty interested tonight", she thought, smiling to herself.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Over in his own hut, Gilligan was dreaming, too. He was dreaming about the time he had tried to save Mary Ann from drowning. He had almost drowned that time, too, but the Skipper had jumped in and saved both of them, becoming a hero. But in his dream, he was able to save her himself. He carried her up onto the beach, both of them plopping down on the sand until they could catch their breath. "Oh, Gilligan! You saved my life", Mary Ann gushed. "How can I ever thank you?"  
  
"I'll think of something", Gilligan said. Then he kissed her like he wished he could kiss her in real life--passionately, not timid at all. In his dreams, he didn't feel awkward and unsure of himself--he felt confident and strong. Mary Ann returned his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. Then he....  
  
"Gilligan? Gilligan!" The Skipper was shaking him awake. "Wake up, Little Buddy...time for breakfast." The Skipper hurried out the door, humming to himself in anticipation of Mary Ann's cooking.  
  
Gilligan sat up, leaning back on his elbows. He gave a deep sigh. "Boy, talk about lousy timing." 


	5. A Plan and an Admission

Disclaimer: Ain't mine. Wish they were. Would have more money.  
  
Mary Ann cleared away the breakfast dishes, trying to think of a way to get Gilligan alone again. But apparently the Skipper had other plans for Gilligan.  
  
"Hi, Mary Ann. Can I get some fruit for our lunch? Gilligan and I will be out in the jungle all day today, gathering supplies."  
  
Mary Ann was disappointed, but she tried not to show it. "Oh, so you and Gilligan will be gone until tonight?", she asked, getting together some food for them.  
  
"Yes, so don't expect us for lunch--maybe not even for dinner. Thanks." Skipper smiled at Mary Ann and hurried away to begin work.  
  
Mary Ann put her hands on her hips and thought for a moment. "This is getting ridiculous", she thought. She saw Gilligan coming and had the beginnings of an idea.  
  
"Gilligan", she called to him.  
  
"Yeah, Mary Ann?" He stopped heading into the jungle and came back to her.  
  
"Uh, Gilligan..." She was just going to have to be more assertive or nothing was going to happen, so she took a deep breath. "Gilligan...I...wanted to finish our conversation from last night. So could we maybe...meet tonight...maybe down by the lagoon?", she finished, not all sure she was handling this right.  
  
Gilligan looked a little surprised. "Yeah...I guess so, Mary Ann."  
  
"Gilligan!!"  
  
They heard the Skipper yelling for Gilligan to hurry up. Mary Ann reached up and gave Gilligan a soft, lingering kiss on the lips. "Until tonight", she said, and hurried away.  
  
Gilligan stood there staring after her, somewhat dazed. He shook his head a little to clear it. "Coming, Skipper!", he yelled, his voice breaking and squeaking like it did when he was nervous.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
That night, Mary ann waited nervously by the lagoon. What if he didn't show up? What if she was handling this wrong? She had brought one of their Tiki torches down to the lagoon, and she had brought the radio, hoping to make things a little more romantic--she just wished she didn't feel so awkward abaout this. Sometimes she envied Ginger, who could handle men so effortlessly. She didn't exactly want to be like Ginger, but she wished she could be more confident.  
  
Gilligan showed up about 15 minutes later. He and the Skipper hadn't made it back in time for dinner. He had cleaned up, and then the Skipper had asked him why he was headed back out so late. He didn't exactly want to tell the Skipper about meeting Mary Ann, so he had mumbled some excuse and left in a hurry. He stood and watched Mary Ann for a few minutes before she saw him. She was sitting on a rock, nervously looking at her fingernails. Gilligan was sure, though, that she wasn't as nervous as he was.  
  
"Hi, Mary Ann", he said softly, walking over and sitting down beside her on the rock.  
  
"Hi, Gilligan". She smiled at him, then looked back down at her hands. Suddenly she couldn't think of a thing to say or do. They sat there, very uncomfortable, looking all around at anything besides each other. (If you've seen "The Matchmaker", you know what I mean, LOL.)  
  
Gilligan finally noticed that the radio was playing softly. "Would you like to dance, Mary Ann?", he asked, just to have something to say.  
  
"That would be nice." They stood up and began to dance, standing about a foot apart. Mary Ann, starting to get over her shyness, finally smiled at him and put both of her arms around his neck and her head on his shoulder. Gilligan held her nervously, thinking about ways to tell her how he felt. Why couldn't he just act like he did in his dreams? His dream-self wouldn't have any problem telling her--in fact, he would have told her a long time ago. He took a deep breath and started to speak...  
  
"Gilligan!" It was the Skipper again. He was calling for Gilligan from the doorway to their hut.  
  
Mary Ann stepped back and threw up her hands. "Not again!", she said, going over and sitting back down on the rock. She began to cry a little out of sheer frustration.  
  
"What's wrong, Mary Ann?" Gilligan came over and sat down beside her, looking concerned.  
  
"Oh, Gilligan. I've been trying for three days to get you to tell me how you feel about me. I...I read your diary and saw what you wrote, and I just wanted to hear you say it."  
  
"You read my diary?" Gilligan looked surprised.  
  
She nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry, Gilligan. Ginger found it, and she told me you had written some things about me...and I just couldn't resist...I had to read it."  
  
"That's all right, Mary Ann. I'm just surprised anyone found it, that's all. I couldn't even find it." He was suddenly embarrassed, realizing what she must have read. "It's a good thing I didn't write down everything I've felt about her", he thought. He got up and walked a little way toward the lagoon, then stood there looking out at the water.  
  
Mary Ann came up behind him and touched his shoulder. He turned toward her, and she took both his hands in hers. "So, Gilligan...how do you feel about me?", she asked softly.  
  
Gilligan didn't know how to answer her. He stood there looking at her, thinking about how much he loved her. But how could he tell her? She was so wonderful, and he was just Gilligan. He looked again into her eyes, and he saw that she wanted him to tell her he loved her. He suddenly couldn't resist. He pulled her close and kissed her like he did in his dream, and he was surprised when she put her arms around him and returned the kiss.  
  
"Where is that boy?", the Skipper thought to himself, coming through the jungle. He stopped suddenly, seeing Gilligan and Mary Ann standing beside the lagoon, kissing passionately. His mouth fell open. He was surprised-- no, he was astonished. He suddenly felt awkward standing there watching them, and he turned to go back to his hut. But he decided he'd better have a talk with Gilligan--and from the looks of things, he'd better do it soon.  
  
Gilligan suddenly realized he wasn't acting like himself. He stopped kissing Mary Ann and stepped back from her, a little ashamed of himself (and truth be told, a little proud). "I'm sorry, Mary Ann. I don't know why I..."  
  
Mary Ann stepped close to him again. "It's all right, Gilligan", she said softly, putting both hands on his face. She pulled him close and gave him a gentle kiss. "And you're wrong about not kissing very well", she said, smiling. She lowered her hands and took his hands in hers. "Now, Gilligan...tell me."  
  
Gilligan looked down at the ground, searching for words. He took a deep breath. "Mary Ann...I...I love you. I think about you all the time, I dream about you every night. You're the most wonderful person I've ever known. You're beautiful and sweet, and..." He looked up at her. "I know I don't deserve you..."  
  
Mary Ann put her finger on his lips, shushing him. "Don't ever say that. You're the most special man I've ever known, Gilligan...and I love you, too. And don't look so surprised", she said, laughing at his expression. "You're easy to love."  
  
Gilligan finally smiled at her. He put his arms around her again, and pulled her to him. He gave her a gentle kiss, then looked into her eyes. She smiled at him, her eyes shining, and he kissed her again... 


End file.
